From accessing fitness and nutrition information to staying connected with faraway friends and family or exploring new hobbies, embracing the digital world can enhance people’s lives.

Do you or someone you know need help getting online in person? If you or someone you know could benefit from learning more about how to get online, a Digital Champion can help.

Local Digital Champions Karen (Charmouth) and Andy (Lyme Regis) are friendly and patient volunteers who are good at explaining computers without jargon.

Your local Digital Champion offers FREE Digital Learning sessions by appointment at Charmouth Community Library on Monday afternoons and at Lyme Regis Library on Monday mornings.

To book a slot, telephone the Dorset Digital Hotline on 01305 221048 or pop into the library to ask.

Find out more about the Digital Champion service on the Digital Dorset Council website here>>

In line with NHS England recommendations, NHS Dorset has asked GP teams across the county to stop prescribing medicine and treatment for 35 minor conditions.  Medications for these conditions are readily available at your local pharmacy or supermarket. 

This will release thousands of hours of clinical time to enable your GP Practice to focus on caring for people with more complex needs, increasing patient access.

Find out more about this by downloading and viewing the patient information leaflet here>>

Or visit the NHS Dorset website:   https://nhsdorset.nhs.uk/health/medicines/helpyournhs/

The Friends and Family Test (FFT) has been developed based on national NHS guidance to help GP practices improve patient experience, allowing our patients, carers, and loved ones to leave feedback on their care and treatment.  Patients are asked to consider: “Thinking about your most recent visit to our Practice, overall, how was your experience?” 

We are pleased to publish our quarterly results ending 30th June.  Over the past three months, the Practice received 954 FFT responses.  From these results, we learned that 96.9% of these respondents said their recent experience visiting the Practice was Good or Very Good.

Visit our Friends and Family page on our website to read some of the positive comments received from our patients>>

Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide their views.

As part of our continuing commitment to improving patient access, we are pleased to advise that we are installing a new and improved telephony system at our Lyme Regis and Charmouth surgeries.  This upgrade optimises patient access and simplifies communication, enabling us to serve you better.

Key Benefits of the New Telephony System:

1. Enhanced Patient and Staff Experience: The upgraded telephony system is tailored to improve the patient and staff experience, ensuring smoother communication and efficient handling of enquiries.
2. Effective Call Volume Management: We understand the importance of addressing high call volumes promptly.  The new system is equipped to handle increased call traffic efficiently, minimising wait times and improving accessibility for all.
3. Access to Call Reports for Improved Services:  Detailed call reports generated by the new system will give us valuable insights into call patterns, peak times, and service demand.  This data will enable us to identify areas for improvement and refine our services.

Our dedicated telephony engineers will work diligently to install the new system with minimal disruption to our services.  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition period.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is high blood sugar (glucose) that develops during pregnancy and usually disappears after giving birth. 

Every year in England, out of the approximate 700,000 women that give birth, it is estimated that around 30,000 have GDM. Up to 50% of women diagnosed with GDM develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years of diagnosis with an ongoing elevated risk thereafter. 

To reduce the risk, people with a history of GDM or a current diagnosis you can self-refer to the Healthier You programme. Healthier You is a Diabetes Prevention Programme provided by Living Well Taking Control that supports people in Dorset identified as being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Find out more here>>

Lyme Bay Medical Practice is working closely with local pharmacists to support you with certain minor health conditions.

It may be more appropriate to have your NHS consultation with a trained pharmacist instead of the GP practice. You can choose a pharmacy convenient to you and we will arrange this for you. Your consultation will either be by phone or video call, or you can go into the pharmacy. With your consent, the pharmacist will let us know what happened at your consultation to make sure your medical record is updated.

Find out more here>>

Cold weather can be hard on our health, so it’s really important we take steps to look after ourselves and each other during the winter months.  Both flu and Covid-19 are serious illnesses and it is important to protect yourself against them this winter, by having both your Covid-19 and flu vaccinations.  They will offer you the best protection this winter.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US AS WE ARE UNABLE TO BOOK APPOINTMENTS FOR COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINATIONS FOR PATIENTS OF THE PRACTICE.

The national booking system (NBS) for vaccinations is now open for COVID booster vaccination booking requests, and anyone who is eligible is encouraged to book.  Follow this link to the NHS National Booking Service>>  

You can call 119 free of charge to book over the phone if you cannot book online.

We also have slots remaining for our Winter Flu Vaccination Clinics in October.  Visit our Vaccination Information page to check eligibility and clinic dates>>

It's time to book your flu vaccination!  We have clinics planned on the following dates:

Saturday 7^th October – Lyme Regis Medical Centre/ Charmouth – patients over 65 years old

Saturday 14^th October  - Lyme Regis Medical Centre – patients over 65 years old

Saturday 28^th October – patients aged 18-64 years old in ‘at risk’ categories.

For information on eligibility for a FREE NHS flu vaccine and how to book, please visit our Vaccination Information page>>

Wessex Cancer Trust (soon to become  Wessex Cancer Support) offers free online services for people and their families dealing with cancer.  Although they currently do not have face-to-face services in the west of the county (they currently offer face-to-face services from their site in Bournemouth), if there is enough demand, they will look to develop a West Dorset site.

People who regularly look after a family member or friend can now explore resources to support them online using a new tool called Bridgit.

Bridgit allows people to explore free wellbeing, employment, finance and care resources, helps identify what services and community support are within a carer’s area, and informs carers 24/7 what is available to them - including community support and the eligibility criteria for support from the council.

People can also build their own ‘self-care plan’ using the tool. It’s all available at any time of day and without registering first.

Bridgit also provides access to the first part of the carers assessment online, submitting your information to start the process which is then completed by an Adult Social Care Practitioner in person or over the phone.

Visit www.bridgit.care/support/dorset to access the Bridgit tool.  People who prefer not to, or cannot go online, can call contact the Carer Support Dorset team on the phone to discover the free support and help available.

Take a look at our Summer Newsletter with the latest information on an upcoming COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Clinic at the Lyme Regis Medical Centre site.  We also have news about other upcoming events including an opportunity to learn more about the NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board at a Public Open Meeting arranged by our Patient Participation Group (June 20th) and a Web Wise Session (June 14th) offering help with digital healthcare systems.  

Follow this link to download and view a copy of the Summer newsletter here>>

A Parkinson's support group is now available for those living in the Lyme Regis area.  It aims to create a group where everyone can relax and share anecdotes, ideas and wisdom in an informal, comfortable and pressure-free environment. 

A meeting is planned for Tuesday, 9^th May, between 2 and 3.30 pm at the Lyme Regis Powerboat Club.  For more information, email lymepdhelp@gmail.com or request to join the Lyme Regis District Parkinsons Support Group on Facebook.

Download a copy of the Support Group meeting details here>>

On Tuesday morning 7th March 2023, BBC Radio Solent, broadcast a segment on the day in the life of a GP, featuring Dr Lisa Nayler from the Parkstone Tower Practice in Poole (part of Shore Medical), Afterwards, Dr Andy Purbrick, Joint Chief Executive of Wessex LMC was interviewed about why the system is broken. 

Listen to the broadcast by following this link>>

Wessex LMC represents the voice of GPs and their Practices, operating across the counties of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.

There are currently high rates of Group A strep and scarlet fever in the UK.

Scarlet fever, which is caused by the bacteria Group A streptococcus, is usually a mild illness, but it is highly infectious. It is much more common in children than in adults; it is important that children with scarlet fever are seen by their GP so they can be started on antibiotics. 

We have posted information on what to look out for and what to do on our website here>>

If you are a patient between the ages of 40 and 74, you will be invited for a free NHS Health Check every five years. Read more on the NHS website by following this link>>

Thank you to all patients who attended the Patient Participation meeting yesterday.  As promised, here are the contact details for any patients who would like to send Sophie some feedback or personal experiences on ‘end of life care’ locally. 

Please share any comments about what worked well or could have been better with Sophie Olszowski at: Sophie@spzassociates.co.uk. 

 There are also comment boxes in Lyme Regis Medical Centre & Charmouth Practice for those who do not use email.